If you’re reading this, most probably you would have an awareness about HIV and are worried about getting infected. Rightfully so, as there is still no cure for HIV and it can lead to a severe disease called AIDS and eventually death.
Every year more than 400 new cases of HIV are reported in Singapore the majority of which are still in the prime of their lives between the ages of 20-49. So if you are HIV negative and sexually active, you have a right to be afraid of HIV infection. So what do we have to protect ourselves from this...

HIV Stigma: Not Retro, Just Wrong
World AIDS Day 2016 – Singapore #HIVNOTRETRO
1st December is World AIDS day.
How fast another year has gone by and here we are again recognizing another World AIDS day.
This year’s theme seeks to remind us that the disease that we know as HIV/AIDS wears a very different face today compared to when it was first discovered in the 1980’s.
Back then the face of AIDS was a painfully skinny person lying on a tattered mattress atop a plain wooden bed in a straw hut. With flies buzzing around him...

HIV (Human immunodefiency virus) is an incurable disease that gradually weakens your immune system making you more susceptible to other diseases. If left untreated for long enough you may progress to AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome).
ARS or acute retroviral syndrome includes symptoms that you may experience in the early stages of HIV infection. The HIV symptoms are often described as ‘the worst flu ever’ and usually show 2-4 weeks after exposure. These symptoms may include but are not limited to:
Sore...

The much anticipated MediShield Life will kick in at the end of this year.
It is promised to cover “pre-existing” illnesses which immediately begged the question “will it cover people living with HIV?”
This is a very fair question given the health insurance climate faced by HIV +ve people in Singapore. In a nutshell, there is no insurance policy that provides coverage for a non-occupational HIV infection and most insurance policies actually have a clause that they will become void if a person becomes infected with...

Hidden HIV reservoirs exposed by potential new cancer drug.
Interesting news from a BBC article claiming that researchers from UC Davis School of Medicine in America believe a cancer drug they are testing can ‘flush’ out hidden HIV reservoirs, which could be a stepping stone towards a cure.
First a bit of explanation:
When HIV first enters the body it moves to the blood stream and targets CD4 cells, which are part of our immune system. Once they attach to these CD4 cells, they enter and begin replicating eventually bursting the...

The BBC reports that an 18 year old French woman is currently still in remission for HIV despite stopping her medication almost 12 years ago. This is the first long term remission from HIV in a child and is being discussed at the International Aids Society (IAS) in Canada.
The 18 year old was born in 1996 and contracted HIV from her mother either during the pregnancy or during child birth. At 3 months of age she was given anti-retroviral medication. She continued this medication until 6 years of age when her family decided to stop the...